Barcelona football star Lionel Messi and his father will appeal against a Spanish court decision to sentence them each to 21 months in jail for tax fraud, the player's lawyers say.
Argentine Messi, aged 29, was also fined €2m euros (£1.7m; $2.2m) by the court in Barcelona.
In addition to the prison term, Messi's father, Jorge, was fined €1.5m for defrauding Spain of €4.1m in 2007-09.
However, neither man is expected to serve time in jail.
Under the Spanish legal system, prison terms of under two years can be served under probation.
The pair also face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.
"The sentence is not correct and we are confident the appeal will show the defence was right," Messi's lawyers said in a statement several hours after the guilty verdict was delivered.
The lawyers said that "there is a good chance that the appeal will succeed", adding that Messi had always acted in good faith.
The sentence can be appealed against via the Spanish supreme court.
The footballer and his father were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud.
As well as the jail terms, Messi and Jorge were also fined. They made a voluntary €5m "corrective payment", equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest, in August 2013.
"FC Barcelona expresses its full support to Leo Messi and his father in relation to the conviction for tax fraud...
"The club... considers that the player, who has corrected his position with the Spanish tax office, is in no way criminally responsible with regards to the facts underlined in this case."
Follow The Forefront on:
> facebook Nigerian audience
> The Forefront on Twitter
>BBM Channel: C002CB006 {WELCOME TO THE FOREFRONT}
>{Instagram: the_forefront_nigeria }
> The Forefront on Twitter
>BBM Channel: C002CB006 {WELCOME TO THE FOREFRONT}
>{Instagram: the_forefront_nigeria }
> twitter
> Instagram: osagiejoshua
| Share this post with others on social media with options below. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer!!! Opinions expressed in comments do not represent THE FOREFRONT MEDIA NG's views. All participants are entitled to their opinions. Thank you!!!
Advertise on the Forefront: For advert placement in the blog or advert posts like news updates, reach +2348124620827 [WhatsApp].
Copyright 2023 The Forefront Media Ng. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from The Forefront Media Ng